Certified Uptime Process Helps Dealers Keep Customers Running During COVID-19

Certified Uptime professionals in the Volvo Trucks North America dealer network are using their training, standard processes and facilities to support customers safely and responsibly within the current restrictive conditions  

Created in 2016, Certified Uptime is a process built around best practices determined by Volvo Trucks North America dealers to increase quality, optimize service and repair efficiencies and enhance the overall customer experience. Dealers must now consider social distancing requirements and other public health considerations for customers, as well as for service staff while they continue to maintain their highest performance standards.

Key to the process is the ASIST communication platform, developed by Decisiv for Volvo Trucks. ASIST enables remote communications and automates the documentation for each service event, keeping all information in one place and minimizing in-person contact with the customer. This also allows repair services to be completed with minimum internal interaction at the dealership.

Integrated within ASIST is JPRO, a diagnostic software system by Noregon. JPRO allows Certified Uptime dealers to gather all essential information from the truck, including VIN, mileage, engine hours, diagnostic codes and other data, reducing direct contact with customers or vehicles. Trucks are then serviced in dedicated Uptime Bays to get customers in and out quickly, decreasing potential exposure.

This commitment to uptime and sustaining Volvo Trucks’ reputation for leadership under extraordinary conditions has also led to new practices introduced by North American dealers. Vision Truck Center in Ontario, Canada, has instituted a policy requiring a 100 percent paperless process. All service jobs are handled through the ASIST platform with no paper routing.

“The ASIST platform has made it possible to have a paperless process in order to minimize human contact,” said John Slotegraaf, owner and dealer principal at Vision Truck Center. “Our entire staff has remained focused on our Certified Uptime processes while making sure we don’t compromise the safety of our customers or employees.”

Affinity Truck Center, with two Certified Uptime locations in California’s Central Valley region, created a process for quick, accurate service check-ins. As trucks enter, they trigger a bell in the service office. A technician thoroughly disinfects each truck before it is driven through the gate. Each new write-up is handled through a secure, tented entryway equipped with a sensor that alerts service staff when a customer enters. Specially installed plexiglass barriers separate the customer and service advisor during check-in.

“Now that the weather is heating up, we are actively looking into additional ways to keep our customers safe and enable them to practice social distancing in a comfortable, indoor environment,” said Chris Paris, service manager, Affinity Truck Center. “Along with custom plexiglass shields and floor markers in both the parts and sales sides of all of our facilities, we are in the process of opening a larger customer waiting room with dedicated restrooms in a building next to our service location in Fresno, and have remodeled a storage room off the shop floor for an additional customer lounge in our Bakersfield location.”

“We’re seeing our Certified Uptime dealers across the U.S. and Canada going the extra mile to maintain our standards of excellence while ensuring human safety throughout the service process,” said Conal Deedy, director of customer productivity solutions, Volvo Trucks North America. “The dedication from our dealers, together with our collaborations with key partners to maximize efficiencies and streamline the service experience from point to point, is a critical advantage during the ongoing health crisis.”  

In addition to human safety protocols, Volvo Trucks’ ASIST software platform was recently upgraded to include the ability for dealers to update customer information for each truck in real time, a step that previously involved a third party and could have delayed the service process. The upgrade is another example of how Volvo Trucks is supporting and listening to dealers, developing tools and processes to drive throughput and offer the best customer experience possible.

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